Even more lovely kits !!

After adding the fantastic Christmas kits (courtesy of Bagladee - go check out her site - it's FAB!), I suddenly remembered our own very lovely felt ball & buttons necklace kits that were sat lurking in a basket in the studio!

Life at Blooming Felt has been so darn busy lately that there are rather a lot of things that need doing - stock sitting in boxes waiting to be loaded onto the website, out of stock products that need re-ordering, advertising copy, blog posts, Facebook and Twitter updates, website newsletters, tutorials, getting to grips with the impending VAT issue, blah, blah, blah

So, to make a start on it all I've put our kits onto the website and am telling you about it here ... that's 2 things ticked off my list !!

Our kits make the most perfect stocking fillers for anyone remotely crafty !

All you need is a sharpish needle with a large eye (which funnily enough you can buy here) to complete the project. Available in 4 different colourways and

priced at £7 each, they're an absolute bargain !!

Be quick though because they've been showcased in the latest edition of Sew Hip and are selling ...... fast !!

xx

PS. Don't forget the VAT man wants his cut from 1st November .... stock up before our prices rise (slightly) x

A little bit of Retail Therapy

Sometimes, just sometimes (not very often though), I get a little fed up with just buying stuff for the website. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE all of the stuff that I buy to sell in my little webshop and for the most part it does satisfy my shopaholic tendancies .

But when there's a nip in the air (ok - so it's been almost 80 degress here over the last couple of days, but you get what I mean ?!), the leaves start to change colour and I get a little stressed out whenever I look at my TO DO list, I think that there has to be some perks to working so hard . So I hit the internet in search of goodies just for me !!

Etsy is usually my first stop because I love to wear stuff that's a little different. I had this gorgeous necklace in my favourite items list for ages and ages and kept looking at it and deliberating whether I should treat myself or not. The last time I went to look at it, it had been SOLD !! Arghhhh.

Not to worry - I will convo the shopkeeper and ask ever so nicely if she would mind doing me another one. "Of course" came the reply "I'd love to". So, to Gill (if you're reading this blog) - THANK YOU !! I adore it. And to make it even better, the other lovely item I bought from her had a little freebie with it as well. Double THANK YOU !!

Hmmm - what next ? Maybe some new clothes? I'd had in my mind that I wanted a denim pinafore dress that I could wear over leggings but despite searching most of the high street type shoppies on the net, no-one seemed to have any. So I went to that dreaded site Ebay. I know, I know - it's not the ideal place to go clothes shopping, but when you can't find what you want anywhere else, chances are Ebay will have it. And they did !!

I found a BNWT Alexa Chung denim pinafore in my size and a bargain at £2.99. Lovely - thank you very much. And I have to say that when it arrived I was thrilled to bits with it - it fits perfectly (even if it makes me take wonky photos !)

Then, one of my favourite clothes websites sent me an email announcing their Autumn catalogue so I thought I'd have a look and see if they had any nice jeans. Unfortunately not ... BUT look what I did get !!!

The description for this top said "its fun and funky and should never be worn by miserable people!" How true - I'm a happy bunny (or should that be happy owl ?)

This is really fab and I wore it yesterday drawing admiring glances and comments - well, I think they were about the top - I did check that it wasn't tucked in my knickers or anything and am pretty sure it wasn't so the comments must have been about my cool new top ! I'm definitely going to wear this at Ally Pally.

Then - can you tell I was really getting into shopping just for me by now?!! I found a gorgeous tunic dress / top in Next - ok, so everyone else will be wearing it as well, but it's just soooo nice that I couldn't say no !

And finally, with winter on the way I thought I'd treat myself to a new pair of boots. And guess what? They look great with all of my lovely purchases !

SORTED !!

Aches and Pains

This morning I did a 10 mile training walk for the Breast Cancer Moonwalk that I'm taking part in on 17th May. We just walked locally down country lanes (avoiding the rather large puddles) and up what is probably one of the steepest hills in Essex, North Hill. I was fine until I had to go up the hill and then I started to struggle. But, there won't be any hills like that on the actual event (more like lots of lovely shop windows to be looking in) so I'm not too worried that I found it a bit difficult. Don't forget, if you'd like to make a difference and help people with Breast Cancer, you can sponsor me (over there on the right).

I found out that Danbury runs a Farmer's and Craft market once a month in the village hall. They are on the look-out for new craft stall holders so I thought I'd check it out next Saturday before I decide whether to put my name down for a regular pitch. I've got the Spring Fair in the High Chelmer Shopping Centre in Chelmsford next Sunday, and that's my first event of the year, so fingers crossed I will do well. I've been manically making felt ball bracelets and sewing labels onto all of the bags, pencil cases and purses that I'm going to take along. I've also been approached to take a stall at a family day in June at an independent school in Kent. I'm mulling this over at the moment as it's a bit of a hike for me and I'm worried that any profit I make will be spent on petrol getting to and from the event. But, once again, it would be a great marketing tool and would get my name out there.

This last week has been very busy on the website front. Lots of orders coming through and also wholesale enquiries. I've also opened a shop on the European equivalent to Etsy - Dawanda. No sales as yet, but I think it's probably the same as Etsy in that it takes a while to get going. But it's free to list so isn't costing me anything.

My felted moneybox also got a lovely mention on Cuteable this week - thank you Lynsey !!

I've got my second meeting with the Essex Enterprise Agency on Wednesday next week and have to present my Business Plan (well, if you can call it a Business Plan - more like a load of numbers jotted down on a bit of paper that means something to me, but probably not a lot to anyone else !!) The poor man is going to wonder what on earth I've been doing, but hey - I'm a creative person, not an accountant and I work in a total muddle. As long as I'm happy that's all that counts (well, that's what I think anyway!)

These lovely felt necklaces will be added to my website over the weekend - they're a new line so I'm a bit undecided (and nervous) as to whether they'll sell or not. I'd love to know what you think though !! Also, a new felt kit - Ladybird Bags

And if you haven't wasted enough time reading this blog, why don't you check out this little tool ? It tells you how much your blog is worth in money terms !! Why on earth you would want to know this, I really don't know !! I can't believe it would ever equate into real money but it's one of those little things that everyone likes to check out !!

See you soon xx